Lord Loss (Book One of The Demonata): Book 1

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Mum hugs me, then kisses me. I can't remember the last time she kissed me. There's something desperate about it.

I shrug, trying to act like it's no big thing, like I was planning to stop anyway. "Sure, if you're going to make that much of a fuss about it," I yawn. I loved Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak series (I mean, seriously, almost literally drooled over waiting for each edition of those books...) so set myself the goal of reading his other series as well. This sounded the more interesting, so this is the one I've started with. I loved these characters a lot more than I liked the ones in Lord Loss; there was just something about all the characters on a whole that I liked more. Maybe because we could see everyone’s personality’s in a different light, when they were younger and not through the judging eyes of Grubbs Grady. The characters in Demon Thief are also a lot funnier and all though the situation is bad these characters are able to make light of it. Gret appears before they reach the stairs. Crashes out of her room, screaming, slapping bloody shreds from her arms, tearing them from her hair. She's covered in red. Towel clutched with one hand over her front - even terrified out of her wits, there's no way she's going to come down naked! This book is amazing! simple as that. And I'm really curious to read the next book in the series to see more of the characters and what's next!!In writing this review, I shall have to be very careful not to spoil this book. In a word, this was fantastic. I truly enjoyed reading it. I had no idea what to expect and that's part of the fun, so I won't enlighten you about what this book is about. I like the idea of a few grey hairs, not a whole head of them like Dad, just a few. And spread out - I don't want a skunk patch! I'm big for my age - taller than most of my friends - and burly. I don't look old, but if I had a few grey hairs, I might be able to pass for an adult in poor light - bluff my way into 18-rated movies! Enough!" Dad shouts, and we both jump. Dad almost never shouts. He usually gets very quiet when he's angry. Now his face is red and he's glaring - but at both of us, not just me.

I can beat just about anyone my age - I've won regional competitions - but I'm not in the same class as Mum, Dad or Gret. Gret's won at national level and can wipe the floor with me nine times out of ten. I've only ever beaten Mum twice in my life. Dad - never. I rated three rather than five as the story didn't addict or fully captivate me yet. It has the potential to and I'll definitely keep reading. While confronting Lord Loss, Dervish is constantly distracted from his chess match as Grubbs is unable to fight off the two familiars. Dervish finally uses magic to save Grubbs, but Lord Loss sees this as breaking the rules of the game and is about to let his familiars kill Dervish, Grubbs, and Bill-E. However, Dervish is able to convince Lord Loss to let Grubbs finish the chess game, while he battles the familiars. A terrified Grubbs then makes a bad game worse. Then Grubbs realizes that Lord Loss is feeding on his despair and then decides to play with an aloof attitude. This throws Lord Loss' concentration, allowing Grubbs to win the game. Lord Loss then cures Bill-E, but someone must battle him in his realm. Grubbs offers to go, but Dervish refuses to let Grubbs fight and goes instead. Dervish leaves to the Demonata universe, leaving Grubbs behind with Bill-E. Grubbs lies to Bill-E, telling him that Dervish used a calming spell to try to cure his lycanthropy. Grubbs figures that it's better for Bill-E to believe that Dervish is his father, since his real father is dead. Fourteen months later Grubbs has been caring for Dervish in his zombie-like state, also dealing with the fear that he'll turn into a werewolf. One morning, Grubbs wakes up to find blood under his nails and hair in his teeth. Thinking that he has turned, he prepares to call the mysterious Lambs Dervish told him about, to kill him before he does any harm. As Grubbs reaches for the phone he hears someone call his name. Turning to look he sees Dervish, with his senses regained, holding a tin of paint and a woollen scarf. The book ends with Dervish saying, "The look on your face!"Mum and Dad are by the sink, discussing the day ahead. They go stiff when they hear the screams, then dash towards the stairs, which I can see from where I'm sitting. But it's not like I can tell her, is it? I can't pipe up with, "Oi! Mother! You're disgracing us both, so shut yer trap!" I was so surprised to have enjoyed this as much as I have, because from reading the first book: Lord Loss, I wasn't all that impressed and assumed the rest of the books in this series would stay at that mediocre tone.